Antics with ARMS
by DatNuttyKid
Summary: When they're not going head-to-head in the ring, the fighters of ARMS get to know one another. Series of one-shots with partial continuity.
1. Unlikely Friends

**I'm very excited for ARMS! So I kind of requested an entirely new category just so I could write some ideas for how I see the characters' personalities based on their appearances and descriptions on the Japanese website. I hope the game has as detailed a world as Splatoon; it's got a lot of potential for that. But I expect I'll enjoy it even if it doesn't!**

 **I don't own the characters and all that. But if I did, would this really count as a fanfiction?**

The twenty-one-year-old ninja slowly flipped to the next page of his book, reclined comfortably beneath one of the trees lining the path to the Ninja College. Ninjara was completely engrossed; reading had always been a passion of his, but his hard work in college and now training for the ARMS Grand Prix had taken much of the time he usually would have spent in a book. This specific book had been gifted to him by Ribbon Girl; she had caught him leafing through a book he had possessed since his childhood and read on many occasions and it started a conversation ending in the offer. She had expressed concern that it would not be the type of story that would pique the usually stoic ninja's interest, but she was clearly wrong. Anyone who didn't know Ninjara very well, and even several who did, would be surprised to learn this was a romance novel.

Not that it was just endless tales of steamy passion. There were pages of action or mystery, battling a vicious foe or searching for a missing key, but they were all driven by one goal: the reunion of the main character and her one true love. Ninjara would never outright say it, but he had a soft spot for such things. The scene he was currently obsessing over had the character in question pining over her love as she attempted to magically contact him across the great distance between them.

His thoughts were torn from the sweet and admittedly corny words by the roaring sound of a thruster drawing nearer. Sitting up and laying the book over his knees, he searched for the source.

"Oh, hi, Ninjara!" a young girl greeted cheerfully. Mechanica, one of Ninjara's competitors in the ARMS tournament, had arrived. Unlike the other competitors in the Grand Prix, Mechanica did not possess the uniquely springy arms, but her obsession with the sport led her to build a robotic suit-the source of the interrupting thruster sounds. "What are you doing here?"

Ninjara silently held up the book he was reading as a response. "You?"

"I was gonna practice my mobility on the steps of the college," she explained, climbing out of the seat of her robot suit and dangling her feet over the side so that she could face Ninjara more easily. "Y'know, it's pretty surprising that it was chosen as a stage. I would think the ninjas would want it to stay a secret!" Ninjara barely acknowledged this statement as he wondered if he would be able to focus on his book with her around. The clanking and groaning of her suit were one thing; the chattering was another. "Whatcha readin'?"

"Errr, just a book Ribbon Girl gave me," Ninjara responded, avoiding claiming any further details. As a ninja, he concerned himself very little with shallow emotions such as embarrassment-but that small amount of concern was enough for him to shy away from openly admitting he was obsessed with romance novels.

Mechanica didn't seem to care about the vagueness. "I didn't even know you read."

"When I have time. And I'm not being interrupted."

The girl clearly didn't get the hint, clumsily climbing down off her robot suit and to the ground. "That's so cool! I like to read, too. That's how I learned how to build this thing!" She proudly patted the robot. "What kinda book is it?" She drew nearer.

"Fiction," Ninjara responded, pulling the book back into his lap. "I'm sure it's not anything you'd care about."

"Don't be silly! Just 'cause I like learning from books doesn't mean I don't like fiction. Lemme see it!"

Ninjara sighed. There was no deterring her. He held the book up, showing her the cover.

" _A Journey of Love_?" she read questioningly. She stared for a moment before stifling laughter. "That's so corny." Ninjara growled and began to leave. "No, wait!" she cried, pursuing him. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just didn't pin you for the… uh, romantic type."

"Yes, well, I've always found it's more interesting to do what you like rather than what people expect from you."

Mechanica grinned. "I totally get that! See, that's why I'm here. Just 'cause I'm some little kid who hangs in the junkyard, everyone assumes I'll just be that little kid my whole life. But I wanna be more than that. I entered the ARMS Grand Prix so that I can show everyone that they don't have to fit into the little boxes everyone makes for them. They can be anything! They just gotta try."

Ninjara considered her words. "Hm. That's a great cause, Mechanica." Perhaps there was more to this strange child than he first thought.

"Hey, d'you think I could read that book after you're done with it?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"…Sure, why not," Ninjara responded, showing a rare smile for the optimistic teen who had done the seemingly impossible: breaking down the ninja's emotional defenses.


	2. El Gros Mistero

**I still don't own the game which drives me crazy but I'm broke, so y'know. I have played in all three Global Testpunches and I'm keeping up with news about it. Including the news of Lola Pop! She is adorable and I wish I could play as her… but I'll just write about her instead.**

 **Let me know what you think - leave a review! Or you could also message me here or on Tumblr at datnuttykid-writes (dot Tumblr dot com). If you didn't like something, give me advice on how I could fix it! I need criticism to become a better writer. Thanks!**

Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, and Mechanica watched curiously as the newest entrant in the ARMS league hurled punches at the targets held by members of the Cell.

"She's really good," Spring Man mused. "I'd hate to go up against her in the ring."

"What's her name again?" Mechanica asked. "Lola Pop?"

Spring Man nodded. "I heard she's French."

"French?" Ribbon Girl questioned. "Lola is a Spanish name."

"But she comes from Via Dolce," Mechanica interjected. "That's Italian."

"She says 'ooh la la'," Spring Man argued. "That's French, like Twintelle."

Ribbon Girl frowned. "But why would someone from France be named Lola?"

"She's not from France," Mechanica insisted. "Via Dolce is Italian."

"Just because that's the location she chose as her stage doesn't mean it's her home," Ribbon Girl fired back. "Maybe she just visits Via Dolce a lot. Or she just likes it because it fits her candy theme. Not everyone is like you and Helix."

"She has a clown theme, not a candy theme," Spring Man corrected. "Clowns come from France."

Mechanica shook her head. "That's mimes. Clowns are from England. And anyway, it's definitely a candy theme. Her name is Lola Pop."

"Whatever she is, I don't think she's English," Ribbon Girl said. "She has an accent. I can't place it, though."

"I think it sounds like Twintelle's," Spring Man muttered.

"It could be Italian," Mechanica suggested.

Ribbon Girl sighed. "You know what? Let's just ask her." She stood up from the bench and walked over to Lola, catching her attention by tapping her on the shoulder as Spring Man and Mechanica watched.

Lola's smile brightened when she saw Ribbon Girl. "Ciao, mon ami! ¿Como estas?"

 **Is that a good punchline? I'm kind of proud of it, lol. Sorry that this chapter is short, I'll probably write more Lola stuff but I wanted to get this out of the way first.**

 **Seriously, though, Lola is kind of an ethnic mess. She appears to speak French, comes from an Italian stage, and has a Spanish name. Could they not just pick one and stick with it?**


End file.
